Separable maternity garment



Oct. 15, 1963 cuv 3,106,717

SEPARABLE MATERNITY GARMENT Filed July 27, 1961 INVENTOR. RITA D. Cuvm.

United States Patent 3,106,717 SEPARABLE MATERNITY GARMENT Rita D. Cuvin, 10.0 W. 12th St, New York 11, N.Y. Filed July 27, 1961, Ser. No. 127,323 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-70) This invention relates to female garments and more particularly to new and useful improvements in separable maternity garments.

The invention broadly concerns a female garment that has a blouse or bodice portion or section and a body or skirt portion or section, the garment being provided with ready means for attaching or detaching the portions or sections. The blouse or bodice portion can be readily and interchangeably attached to skirt or body portions of varying lengths and fullnes-ses such as to skirt portions of maternity dresses, to slacks, shorts or bathing suits.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a bodice or blouse for the upper part of the female body with means for ready attachment to skirt portions of varying lengths and fullnesses, to trousers and slacks, to body portions of bathing suits, swim suits and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a female garment having an upper bodice or blouse section and a lower skirt or slacks section or the like with ready means for attaching and detaching the upper and lower sections.

A further object is to providea female garment with a bodice or blouse section having a slide fastener at one end thereof, and with a skirt or body sections having a slide fastenmat one end thereof adapted to cooperate with the slide fastener on the bodice or blouse section.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a female garment having a bodice or blouse section and a separable skirt or body section, the separation being achieved by a slide fastener device.

A-further object of the invention is to provide a maternity dress consisting of a skirt portion and a separable blouse portion wherein the skirt is supported in draped fashion by the bust of the wearer and each portion provided with a series of separable fasteners extending entirely around the bust section of the wearer, with the male fastener on one portion and the female fastener on the other port-ion.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a garment such as a maternity dress having circular garment sections circularly interconnected by a slide fastener, as in the case of the skirt and blouse, with one of the sections, such as the blouse having an improved circular flap for overlying and concealing the slide fastener and to protect the wearer against chafing contact with the fastener.

Another object is .to provide a maternity dress that is cut in a modified pyramid shape that will show limited extension from beginning to end of pregnancy.

Still another object of the invention according to a modification thereof is to provide a combined blouse and skirt'wherein the skirt is pleated to adjust the skirt to various-sizes of wearer.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a maternity dress embodying one form of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the top end of the dress, with a flap turned up to disclose the slide fastener.

Patented Oct. 1 5, 1 963 ICE FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modified protective flap.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a maternity dress embodying a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a maternity dress embodying a further modified form of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the top end of the dress of FIG. 7, with a flap turned up to disclose the slide fastener.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective View of the top of the skirt portion of the dress of FIG. 7 shown in spread part condition, parts being omitted.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the inventions is illustrated by way of example in a maternity dress but it will be understood that the top or bodice section or portion of the dress might be used with any other type of garment or dress, or skirt of varying lengths, such as tunic lengths, or such as trousers or slacks, bathing suits and swim suits and the like that are provided with coopcrating slide fastener means.

In FIG. 1 a maternity dress of the separable type is shown and is designated by the reference numeral 10. The dress 10 may be of any desirable style or fabric material and comprises a skirt section or portion :12 and a blouse or bodice section or portion 1-4.

The blouse or bodice section or portion 14 consists of a short tubular body 16 with a low neck 18, at one end, opposed sleeves 2t 20 and an outer circular flap 22 at its other end. The flap is formed with a slightly convexly curved edge 24 at the rear and a slightly dipped edge 26 at the front. A snap fastener element 28 is secured in the dipped edge 26 of the flap at its center. The neck 18 is slitted at the rear as indicated at 30 and is closed by a button and button hole assembly 32.

The skirt section or portion 12 corn-prises an elongated tubular body 34 with a seam 36 extending the length thereof at the front center and with a pleat or fold 38, extending the length thereof at the rear center. Along its top edge, a strip of fabric is turned upon itself, folded over the top edge and stitched thereto by stitching 40 forming a hem 42.

The skirt section or portion 12 and the blouse section or portion 14 are detachably connected together by means of a conventional slide fastener connection. This slide fastener connection includes a slide fastener stringer 44 secured by the stitching 40 to the hem 42 of the skirt portion 12 and extending completely around the skirt portion 12. The outer flap 22 is turned upon itself inwardly and upward-1y as indicated at 4-6 and again folded upon itself downwardly as indicated at 48, the folds of the flap at the bend therein being stitched to the body 16 of the blouse by a line of stitching 50,.the innermost fold 48 being unattached and constituting an inner flap.

A slide fastener stringer 52 is secured between the inner folds 46 and 48 of the flap by the line of stitching 50 and extends completely around the flap portion of the blouse coextensively with the stringer 44. The stringers 4'4 and 52 are provided with conventional interlockingelements 54- which are engaged and disengaged from each other by a slider 56. The inner fold or flap 48 covers and conceals the slide fastener connection and protects the skin of the wearer from the metal parts of the connect-ion.

Instead of forming an inner flap 48 by folding the material of outer flap 22, the inner flap 48 may be separate from the flap portion 46 and stitched to the flapportion 46" as shown inFIG. 5, by a line of stitching 50'.

, In the drawing, the blouse and skirt are shown completely attached. The combination garment can be put 3 on and taken off as a unit without completely disconnecting the slide fastener stringers by simply unmeshing some of the interlocking elements 54.

When it is desired to separate the blouse 14 from the skirt 12, it is merely necessary to move the slider 56 along the stringers 44 and 52 to the ends thereof whereby the stringers may be completely separated, and simultaneously the blouse and waist will be completely separated from each other. When it is desired to again attach the blouse 14 to the skirt 12, this may be readily done by connecting the stringers to each other.

In wearing the maternity dress shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, the hem portion 42 of the skirt portion 12 is placed around the center of the bust of the wearer and supported by the bust. When so worn, the skirt portion 12 hangs or drapes loosely downwardly in a straight line from the bust thereby eliminating any contours and presenting a neat and attractive appearance and thereby affording maximum comfort to the wearer. The fiap 22 conceals the zipper connection and is adapted to be held in this position by the snap fastener element 28 on the flap engaged over a complementary snap fastener element 53 on the body 34 of the skirt 12 closely spaced from the hem 42.

The modified form of separable maternity dress 10" shown in FIG. 6 differs from the form of maternity dress 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that the skirt portion 12" is shorter and the blouse portion 14" is correspondingly longer. In wearing the maternity dress 10", the hem 42 of the skirt portion encircles the bust section and is supported on the bust of the wearer.

Referring now to the modified form of separable maternity dress 10 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, inclusive, in this dress 10 the skirt portion 12 is longer than either the skirt portion 12 or skirt portion 12", and the blouse portion 14 is correspondingly shorter than the blouse portions 14 and 14". The blouse portion 14* is also provided with sleeves 60. Furthermore, the skirt portion 12 is formed with a plurality of pleats or folds 38 at the front of the skirt portion extending the length thereof.

The flap 22' at the bottom end of the blouse portion 14 is constructed similarly to the flap 22 of the dress 10 of FIG. 1 but instead of having a single snap fastener element at the center, the flap 22 is provided with three spaced snap fastener elements 28 adapted to snap over a plurality of spaced complementary snap fastener elements 58 at the top of the pleats or folds 38 and at the center of the body 34 of the skirt portion at the top. This pleated construction and plurality of fastener elements permit adjustment girthwise of the dress.

The slide fastener stringer 52 is secured to the flap 22 in the manner of stringer 52 but the stringer 52 starts at a point remote from the center of the blouse, as indicated at 62 encircling the blouse and stopping at a point remote from the center as indicated at 64. The companion slide fastener stringer 44 is secured to the top edge of the hem 42 of the skirt portion 12 starting at a point remote from the center thereof and approximately at the point where the stringer 52 started and extending around the hem 42 and stopping at a point remote from the center of the hem as indicated at 66 and in line with the adjacent end of stringer 52 The dimensions of the stringers are such as to leave an elongated space 68 between the top of the skirt portion 12 and the bottom proper of the blouse portion 14 as seen in FIG. 8 thereby permitting of a wide range of adjustment of the dress girthwise of the wearer.

The separable feature of the dress is particularly desirable from the standpoint of washing or cleaning.

The assembled dress portions present a neat waist band free from bulges and wrinkles as noticeable in conventional skirt and waist combinations. The separable slide fastener eliminates the objectionable waist tail and provides a unitary garment that will not separate or pull apart when in use. The separable feature of this dress also presents a full length dress with the advantages of the ordinary two-piece maternity dress thus enabling the wearer a variety and the opportunity to select the most becoming styles and achieving a multitude of outfits at a nominal cost. The separable fasteners may be snaps, hooks or may be made of any material that is adapted to be made into a male and female counterpart.

It will also be understood that instead of a single slide fastener device, a slide fastener device may close the front and a separate slide fastener device may close the rear, or a pair of slide fasteners may be used at any point of the bodice.

The skirt portions of the garment may be pleated, gathered, cut on the bias or straight. While the garment is shown without any side placket openings, it will be understood that the garment may be designed with either a top or bottom or both openings at either front, back or either side of the garment.

The garment of the present invention does not cause any blouse discomfort to the wearer. The separable fastener elements are placed at convenient comfortable places away from the armholes in all styles.

It will be further understood that the present invention is not limited solely to maternity dresses but may be embodied in childrens and teenage garments as well.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A maternity dress comprising a skirt portion, a hem on the top edge of the skirt portion, a blouse portion, an outer flap on the bottom end of the blouse portion, means of connection between the skirt portion and the blouse portion, said connection including a slide fastener stringer secured along the top edge of the hem and extending therearound, a slide fastener stringer secured around the blouse portion at its bottom end, interconnecting elements carried on the long edges of said stringers in meshing engagement, an inner flap on the bottom end of the blouse portion superposed on the outer flap, for protecting the wearer of the dress against the interconnecting element of the stringers, said outer flap concealing the connection between the skirt portion and blouse portion, the means of connection between the skirt portion and blouse portion disposable over the bust line of the wearer of the dress, the body of said skirt portion having a pleated front section, said slide fastener stringers starting at one end of said pleated front section, extending around the dress and terminating at a point at the other end of said pleated front section to provide an expandible portion, a clearance at the front of the dress for adjustment of the dress girthwise of the wearer and a plurality of snap fastener elements on the outer flap adjacent its bottom edge and a plurality of complementary snap fastener elements on the hem of the skirt portion for holding the flap against the dress.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 884,479 Galland Apr. 14, 1908 1,083,611 Guyette Jan. 6, 1914 1,884,159 Orent Oct. 25, 1932 2,661,477 Gilbertson Dec. 8, 1953 2,849,716 Kerson Sept. 2, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 454,954 Italy Feb. 8, 1950 1,096,151 France Dec. 29, 1954 

